Bovington

[Bill A]

What was Bovington used for in WW1? Was this the tank training area for the British and Commonwealth?

Bovington has always been the home of the British tank - its Corps and Regiments and THE training area for modern cavalry warfare tactics and practice. It is worth a visit if you are ever in the vicinity. Regards. David

[Bill A]

Thanks David. Tough to be in the vicinity from over the pond.
My question needed a bit more focus. With the creation of tank battalions in the CEF in WW1, where were the crews trained? One Canadian source inidcates that the training was near Wareham.
The reason for the question is a tunic I have seen which is reportedly to the Canadian Cavalry Bde, but there is a cloth tank badge on the arm. Trying to sort this out.

My apologies for being flippant over Bovington. There were a number of training areas for the early Tank Corps personnel, of which Wareham was certainly one - a small one - but very soon, efforts were concentrated on Bovington because it had everything needed for comprehensive tank training. If you have identification with your tunic, the only sure way to verify where the individual trained is to check the service record of the named officer/enlisted man. If he trained at Bovington, the archive will hold records so you could do much worse than to contact them direct with the information you have. Regards. David

[fearnaught]

Hi, Wareham is the nearest major town to Bovington so is often used when talking of Bovington before it fully developed. Wool was the nearest railhead and that is also sometimes mentioned. As the guns were ex naval 6pdr the gunnery training was initially at Whale Island, a naval base. Subsequently the gunnery range was at Lulworth also next to Bovington. Hope this helps. If you want details of other training areas let me know.

[johnG]

Hi fearnaught,

Your post may have provided me with a useful line of enquiry in something I am following.

I note with interest Whale Island was the early training ground for tank gunnery. Does it follow then that a man who transferred from Royal Artillery to the Tank Corps on their formation in 1917, prbably as a gunner, would have gone to Whale Island and not to Salisbury Plain as have thought.

Any information you have on Royal Artillery personnel transferring in 1917 would be most welcome.

Kind regards,

John

[3748 Hussar]

Hi All

Castle martin in Wales was also used as a Trg Area for the Royal Armoured Corp. I have been on this range with Challenger 1 in the late 1990's It is still used today . Point of interest the German army also had a SQN of Leopard's based here from around the 1980's up until 2000/2001.
Not 100% sure when it was first opened ! The buildings look as though they have been around years.
I am sure Cardiffbloke will know as his is in his neck of the woods

3748 Hussar

[gwrco]

Bovington is an ex RAF station! You only have to look in a couple of the previous issues of soldier mag about the new 'slam' accomodation built/being built, and there is a photo of a NCO holding one of the original rain water catchers (which the army intend to restore and fix back into place), which distinctly shows the initials RAF!!
I done my tracks course at Bovi, learning the spartan cvrt. Rubbish camp, but excellent museum! The RAF handed Bovi over to the Tank Corps in 1918, to become one of their training depots.

tim

[fearnaught]

Hi,Bovington was selected by Swinton in Sept. 1916 and training began there in Jan 1917. Lidell-Hart in "The Tanks" says that gun training transferred to Lark Hill on Salisbury Plain, not a million miles away. Lulworth was a battle training area but also became the gunnery school at some time. Will try to find dates for you. This seems to pre-date the RAF so can only assume that it was re-used equipment. Not unusual, but can cause all sorts of interesting stories.

[3RTR]

Originally Posted by gwrco

Bovington is an ex RAF station! You only have to look in a couple of the previous issues of soldier mag about the new 'slam' accomodation built/being built, and there is a photo of a NCO holding one of the original rain water catchers (which the army intend to restore and fix back into place), which distinctly shows the initials RAF!!
I done my tracks course at Bovi, learning the spartan cvrt. Rubbish camp, but excellent museum! The RAF handed Bovi over to the Tank Corps in 1918, to become one of their training depots.

tim

This is incorrect - for one thing the RAF did not form until April 1st 1918; it was the RFC before that date! (I could hold up a picture of a Battleship at Bovington, where I am stationed, it doesn't make it a Dockyard!)

More importantly, the original wooded camp was built on that site because:
a. It was close to Lulworth, selected for the new Gunnery barracks
b. The chalky country resembled the Somme, allowing replica trench systems to be built for training
c. It was reasonably remote (secrecy) but close to rail links (transport)

There were tented camps in the Wareham, Wool and Bovington areas before the HBMGC (and from 1917 the Tank Corps) established their home there.

[fearnaught]

Hi, do you have a date for the starting of the gunnery school? Also I read somewhere that while they were being trained at Whale Island they qualified for the naval gunnery arm badge but were very quickly told to remove them. For the life of me I can't remember where I read it and it's driving me mad, you wouldn't happen to know?

[3RTR]

I think it was 1917 - I'm in the museuem archive tomorrow, and if I get time I'll try to get an answer

DT

[gwrco]

yep, Bovi was handed over in 1918. The camp was superfluous to RAF requirements. If the RFC had handed it over, then the water catchers would've had the RFC crest or RFC wings on!!



tim